Kemerling, Fankhauser, and Kay will each speak for ten minutes about a work in the exhibition that “lights their fire,” shedding light on how art inspires, engages, and impacts their own work. Following this program, continue the conversation with the speakers and Karin Campbell, Joslyn’s Phil Willson Curator of Contemporary Art, in the galleries or over drinks in the ConAgra Foods Atrium.Justin Kemerling is an independent designer, activist, and collaborator living in Omaha, Nebraska focused on making it beautiful, moving people to action, and getting good things done. He works primarily with community organizations, political campaigns, and changemaking startups in need of branding, graphic design, web design, and art direction. His self-initiated projects and collaborations explore ways to move forward important causes and ideas with design, art, and other forms of creative expression.

Peter Fankhauser is an artist and educator who has held posts at Hauser Wirth & Schimmel in Los Angeles, the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, and The City University of New York, where he also received an MFA in Interdisciplinary Studio Practice. Narrative’s mutation across different media platforms has become a recurring theme in his work and a primary preoccupation. He has exhibited at independent and alternative spaces nationally and abroad including Judson Memorial Church (New York City), Death By Audio (Brooklyn), Silent Barn (Brooklyn), AC Institute (New York City), and the Meltdown Festival (London). In addition to his position as Programs Manager at Omaha Creative Institute, Peter teaches courses in Photography and Visual Literacy at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.Laurie Victor Kay invites the viewer to escape through her work. Her
large-scale photographs are inspired by travel, where she continually
discovers poetic beauty in unexpected places. Though her work originates
with photographed images, these are only the foundations upon which
Laurie uses her imagination and attuned eye to build her sophisticated
final products. Combining digital manipulation with her background in
painting, Laurie uses vibrant hues to fundamentally transform spaces,
injecting them with a new and unique energy. Her work confronts
conceptual opposites and plays with perspective. By creating order out of chaos, she provokes viewers
to consider the disorder in the world around them along with their own
internal chaos, while pushing them to find the beauty within both their
surroundings and themselves.

Victor Kay studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
and Columbia College in Chicago where she received her B.F.A. in
photography in 1995. She is the past winner of the Prix de la
Photographie and International Color Awards. Her works are in numerous private collections throughout the United States. Laurie owns Laurie and Charles Photographs in Omaha with her husband Charles Kay Jr.

Registration for this event is closed, however, walk-in guests are welcome.Visitors please check-in at the Admissions Desk to obtain an exhibition ticket. This program is FREE for members; special Thursday evening ticket pricing $5 for general public adults.